Electric iron



E. A. FAR

Bmcnuc mon Filed June 10, 1

2 Sheets- 1 INVENTOR- March 4, 1947. v E. A. FARR V r 2,416,934

ELEC TRI C IRON Filed June 10, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

flee, BY Q6 5 S Patented Mar. 4, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC IRON Edward A. Farr, Columbus, lnd., assignor to Noblltt-Sparks Industries, Inc., Columbus, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application June 10, 1944, Serial No. 539,867

5 Claims.

simple and eflective means for securing the cord to the iron in a way such that tension in the cord will not be transmitted to the connection between the cord-wires and the terminals to which they are connected.

In carrying out my invention, I provide the iron with a handle of generally conventional form. The rear portion of this handle is provided with a downwardly opening recess in the rear and side walls of which there is a continuous slot. A generally U-shaped closure is removably associated with this slot, and such closure is relieved at one end to provide a space for the passage of the cord. The closure is reversible in the slot so that the relieved end may be disposed alternatively at either side of the iron, thus permitting the cord to extend laterally in either direction from the iron.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Fig. 1 is a fragmental side elevation of the rear portion of an electric sad iron; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with portions of the handle broken away; Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a rear elevation and a fragmental plan view of the iron; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.'

The iron illustrated in the drawing comprises a body portion I including a sole-plate H and any desired form of means (not shown) for heating such sole plate. My invention is not concerned with the heating means or other elements in the body of the iron. To the iron there is affixed a handle having a generally upright rear portion l3 and a grip 14 extending forwardly from such rear portion.

The rear portion I 3 of the iron is provided with a relatively large downwardly opening recess l5. In the rear wall of this recess there is provided a slot H; which extends across the back of the rear portion 13 and continuously forward therefrom along the sides of such rear portion. The slot I is symmetrical about'the median plane of the handle. Associated with the slot I6 I provide a closure l8 having a rear leg I9 and two side legs and 2|, the latter serving to close those portions of the slot l6 which extend forwardly along the sides of the rear portion I3 0! the handle. Desirably, the outer edges of the 2 slot it are provided with rabbet grooves and the closure l8 with flanges 22 receivable in such grooves, as will be clear from Fig. 6. The exterior of the closure I8 is formed to blend with the exterior lines of the handle.

Except for the fact that one of its legs, here shown as the leg 20,-is shorter than the other the closure i8 is symmetrical about the median plane or the handle and conforms to the shape of the slot 16. When the closure is in place in the slot, the latter will therefore be completely closed except for an opening between the end of the short closure-leg 20 and the adjacent end of the slot. Through this opening extends the cord 25 by means of which electric current is supplied to the heating element of the iron. Desirably, the ends of the slot l8 and the end of the short closure-leg 20 are semicircular in conformation so that the cord-receiving opening will be substantially circular.

For the purpose of securing the cord 25 to the iron in a way which will prevent tension in the cord from being transmitted to the connection between the cord-wires and terminals of the iron, I provide on the front wall of the recess IS a vertical rib 21 which terminates short of the lower end of the recess IS. The lower end of the rib 2! is formed with an upwardly extending recess 28 somewhat smaller in width than the diameter of the cord 25. When the cord is forced into the recess 28 it is effectively clamped to the iron-handle 'so that it cannot move longitudinally of itself relative to such handle. To aid in this clamping action, one of the faces of the groove 28 may be provided with one or more projections 30.

The closure i8 is held in place in the slot l6 by a screw 32 which is located in the median plane of the handle and which passes through the rear closure-leg i9 into the rib 2'l.

As is customary in cords associated with irons and other electrical appliances, I prefer to provide the cord 25 with a strain-reliever 34 adapted to prevent sharp bends in the cord at the point where it leaves the iron. As will be clear from Fig. 5, the strain-reliever 34 is wound from wire and has a close-wound portion 35 of uniform diameter, a few close-wound turns 36 of larger diameter at one end of the portion 35, and an open-wound portion 31 of gradually increasing diameter at the other end of the portion 35. The slot H5, at least at its end portions, has a width equal to or slightly greater than the diameter of the close-wound portion 35 of the strain reliever; and the inner faces of the closure-leg 2| and of the rear handle-portion it are desirably relieved to provide a seat for the enlarged end 38 of the strain reliever.

The ends of the wires of the cord 25 are connected to the terminals oi the iron in the ironbody l0, and the cord extends upwardly therefrom into the recess 13, where it is forced by lateral movement into the groove 25, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. Suiilcient slack is left in the cord between the groove 28 and the terminals to which the ends 01' the cord-wire are connected to permit ready removal of the handle from the iron-body l0. It the iron is to be used by a right-handed person, the closure i is disposed in the slot i! in the position shown in run lines in Fig. 5i. e., with the short closure-leg II at the right of the handle. This permits the strainreliever 34. through which the cord 25 passes, to be located in the full-line position shown in Fig. 5, and the cord therefore extends-laterally to the right from the iron. If the iron is to be used by a left-handed person, the screw 32 is removed and the closure is withdrawn from the slot 16. The cord 25 and strain reliever 34 are then swung to the opposite end of the lot I. or into the dotted-line position of Fig. 5, following which the closure 18, rotated 180 about the axis oi! the opening that receives the screw 82, is replaced in the slot and secured by the screw I2.v

The enlarged end 38 of the strain reliever 84, having a diameter greater than the width oi the slot It, prevents the strain reliever from being readily removed from association with the handle whn the cord is swung from one end oi the slot to the other. To facilitate initial entry of the enlarged end 35 01' the strain reliever into the slot, the latter may be widened, preferably near its mid-point, as indicated at 40 in Fig. 6.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an electric sad-iron having a body portion provided with an electrical resistance heating element, a handle for said iron having a generally horizontal grip and a generally vertical rear portion between said grip and body, said vertical handle-portion being hollow and provided with an elongated slot extending from one side of the vertical portion to the other across the back 0! said vertical porticmuaflexible cord comprising. wiresiOr supplyingjelectric current to said heating element, H said '[c'ord vextending through said slot. a rigid SIOEQIOSDI'C disposed in said slot and extendingfrom' one end thereof to a point adjacent to but spaced from the other end to provide an opening through which said cord passes, said closure being reversible relative to the slot whereby to provide such cord-passing opening alternatively at either end of the slot and also insertable into and removable from the slot by rectilinear movement in the plane oi the slot. and means for holding said closure in place in the slot in either of its alternative positions.

2. In an electric sad-iron having a body portion provided with an electrical resistance heating element, a handle for said iron having a generally horizontal grip and a generally vertical portion between said grip and body, said vertical handle-portion being hollow and provided with an elongated slot extending from one side of the vertical portion to the other, a flexible cord comprising wires for supplying electric current to said heating element, said cord extending through said slot, a rigid slot-closure disposed in said slot and extending from one end thereof to a point adjacent to but spaced Irom the other end'to provide an opening through which said cord extends, said closure being reversible relative to the slot whereby to provide such cordpassing opening alternatively at either end of the slot and also insertable into and removable from the slot by rectilinear movement in the plane of the slot, and means for holding said closure in place in the slot in either of its alternative positions.

3. The invention set forth in claim 2 with the addition of an interior rib on said vertical portion opposite said slot, said rib being provided with a downwardly opening groove tightly receiving said cord.

4. The invention set forth in claim 2 with the addition of an interior rib on said vertical portion opposite said slot, said rib being provided with a groove tightly receiving said cord.

5. The invention set forth in claim 2 with the addition of cord-clamping means located interiorly 01' said vertical handle-portion and opposite said slot for clamping said cord to said handle.

- EDWARD A. FARR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,353,151 Eisenheimer July 11, 1944 2,257,506 MacDonald Sept. 30, 1941 2,250,042 Sundt et al July 22, 1941 2,249,620 Samuels July 15, 1941 2,129,811 Bissell Sept. 13, 1938 Re. 21,577 Brownlee et al Sept. 24, 1940 FOREIGN PA'I'ENTS Number Country Date 528,195 British Oct. 24, 1940 344,189

British Mar. 5. 1931 

